DOGS:
Why?
If you do not plan to breed from your dog, we strongly recommend neutering for health reasons as well as to reduce the number of unwanted puppies in the UK.
Entire males are attracted to females in heat leading to wandering behaviour which can cause accidents especially if you live near a busy road. They can also be more aggressive leading to fighting. As dogs age, the prostate gland frequently enlarges and causes pain and difficulty whilst urinating and defaecating. Castrating will prevent, or greatly help this.
Entire bitch’s are ‘on heat’ for about 2-3 weeks roughly every 6 months during which they will be attractive to males, and will spot blood tinged fluid. Entire bitches can also suffer from ‘phantom pregnancies’ with behavioural changes, and womb infections which can be very serious.
Spaying is the removal of ovaries and uterus and offers several advantages. Once spayed the source of the hormones is removed so the heat period does not occur, she is no longer able to become pregnant, and phantom pregnancies do not happen. The risk of developing mammary (breast) cancer is also greatly reduced – the earlier she is spayed, the greater the reduction in risk.
When?
Females can be spayed at 5-6 months of age either before their first season, or 8-12 weeks after a season. There are pros and cons to spaying before or after the first season – discuss with one of our vets what is most suitable for your situation. Males can be neutered any time after 5-6 months of age.
How?
Most vets do routine bitch spays through a long incision in the middle of the dogs tummy, here at West Bar Vets we are also able to offer keyhole surgery where the hole made is much smaller. This means the recovery from the surgery is much quicker. For more information please see here.
CATS:
Why?
We advise that you consider neutering your cat. Neutering reduces the incidence of fighting in male cats and prevents unwanted kittens being born.
When?
If you do not plan to breed from your cat, we strongly recommend that she be spayed at 5-6 months of age or over 2kg. Male cats can be neutered from 5-6 months.
How?
Routine cat spays are done through a small incision in the side of the abdomen. Occasionally there is a good reason to do them slightly differently, for example if they may be mid-late pregnant or if they are colourpoint so that the fur does not grow back a different colour. The vet nurse will discuss this with you when your cat is admitted.
Neutering is booked as a day case procedure. It is normally booked a few days in advance. You can arrange for your pet to be admitted at one of our branch surgeries the evening prior to the operation, or at West Bar Veterinary Hospital on the morning of the procedure. Your pet is usually collected the same day, by appointment after 4pm.
A member of staff will admit your pet and discuss any concerns you have. You will be asked to complete and sign a consent form. We will give you a ring once your pet has recovered to arrange an appointment for collection.
If you have any questions please do not hesitate to contact us on 01295 262332.
